The National Institute of General Medical Sciences (NIGMS)
is one of the National Institutes of Health in the U.S.
Department of Health and Human Services. By supporting
basic biomedical research and training nationwide, NIGMS
lays the foundation for advances in disease diagnosis,
treatment, and prevention.

The NIGMS Feedback Loop is an e-mail newsletter
alerting researchers to NIGMS funding
opportunities, trends, and plans. We encourage your
input
and feedback on Institute activities.

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NIGMS Feedback Loop; other interested individuals
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A Message from the NIGMS Director

As I have interacted with scientists from around the country over the past few months, many of our conversations have quickly turned to budget and success rate matters. Often, when I describe how much of the NIGMS budget is devoted to research grants, I am asked, "What are the other components of the NIGMS budget?" My response is captured in the NIGMS budget overview shown in Figure 1.

Figure 1. NIGMS Budget Overview, Fiscal Year 2006

This figure reveals that over 70% of the budget is devoted
to Research Project Grants, or RPGs.
Within the RPG pool, approximately 86% of the budget supports
R01 grants (including MERIT awards), 1.1% supports R21
grants, 0.7% supports R15 (AREA) grants, 4.5% supports
P01 (program project) grants, 3.2% supports Small Business
Innovation Research/Small Business Technology Transfer
(SBIR/STTR) grants, and 1.7% supports U01 (cooperative
agreement) grants associated with the Pharmacogenetics
Research and the Models of Infectious Disease Agent Study
(MIDAS) networks.

The next largest component of the budget—approximately
10%—is devoted to Research Training.
Within this category, 86% of the funds support institutional
training grants while 14% support individual fellowships.

Centers make up 8% of the budget. Most
of these centers are associated with initiatives such
as the Protein Structure Initiative, the Large-Scale Collaborative
Award (glue grant) program, the NIGMS National Centers
for Systems Biology program, the Chemical Methodologies
and Library Development program, centers for basic research
on human embryonic stem cells, and centers devoted to
specific studies of trauma, burn, perioperative injury,
and wound healing.

The next largest budget category, called Other
Research, makes up 7% of the budget. The Minority
Biomedical Research Support (MBRS) program accounts for
76% of this category, with research career awards representing
another significant component.

The remaining categories include Research Management
and Support, or RMS, which supports administrative
costs such as NIGMS staff salaries and scientific review
expenses (2.4% of the budget); Research and Development
Contracts, which supports activities such as
the NIGMS Human Genetic Cell Repository (1.2%); the NIGMS
contribution to the NIH Roadmap for Medical Research
(0.9%); and Intramural Research (<0.1%).

It is important to note that the distribution of funds across these mechanisms has been almost completely stable since Fiscal Year 2003. During the period of the NIH budget doubling, in addition to increases in the size and number of investigator-initiated research grants, the distribution of funds did change somewhat as several new initiatives were started with input from the National Advisory General Medical Sciences Council and others in the scientific community.

Success Rates

As I have noted in previous issues of the Feedback
Loop (see the October
2005 issue, for example), a parameter that captures
the balance between the number of grants funded and the
number of applications received in a given year is the
success rate. The success rate is defined as the number
of competing applications funded divided by the total
number of competing applications reviewed, regardless
of whether or not they were scored or streamlined. Amended
applications reviewed in the same fiscal year are only
counted once in success rate calculations.

Success rates vary from year to year, from mechanism
to mechanism, and from institute to institute. Data
on success rates are publicly available on the NIH
Office of Extramural Research Web site. For example, the
overall success rate for Research Project Grants for NIGMS
for Fiscal Year 2005 was 26.8%. The overall success rate
for RPGs for all of NIH for the same year was 22.3%, with
a range of 14.0% to 30.5% over the different institutes
and centers. Success rate data for selected mechanisms
for NIGMS in Fiscal Year 2005 are shown in Table 1.

Note that the relatively high success rate for T32 training grants reflects the large fraction of these applications that are competing renewals.

The overall success rates for NIGMS RPGs were 37.9% for Fiscal Year 2003 and 29.7% for Fiscal Year 2004, and, as noted above, 26.8% for Fiscal Year 2005. What about Fiscal Year 2006? We are anticipating a success rate quite similar to that for Fiscal Year 2005, approximately 26%.

I Welcome Your Feedback

I hope that this information is useful with regard to considering your own situation, that of your institution, and the policies and priorities of NIGMS.

As always, feel free to contact me with questions and
comments, either by using my new Ask
the Director Web page or by sending e-mail to
me at the address below. I have been pleased with the
level of response that I have received stemming from earlier
issues of the Feedback Loop, and I invite you
to continue the dialogue. If your topic is of broad interest
and you give us permission, we may post your message on
the NIGMS Web site along with my response so that others
can benefit from the additional information.

Advisory Council Concept Clearances

Proposed new NIGMS research and training programs are
made public at the open session of National Advisory General
Medical Sciences Council meetings. Council approval of
new initiatives (and major changes to existing initiatives)
is called "concept clearance." Concept clearance authorizes
NIGMS staff to develop plans, publish announcements in
the NIH Guide
for Grants and Contracts, and fund grants. During
the initiative planning stages that follow concept clearance,
NIGMS welcomes comments and suggestions from the community.

At its May 2006 meeting, the Council discussed
the concept clearances summarized below. For additional
details, see the Council
minutes or contact the identified NIGMS staff member.

Training at the Interface of the Behavioral and Biological Sciences

The Council approved a program to develop basic behavioral
scientists with rigorous, broad-based training in biology
and biomedical science who can assume leadership roles
related to the Nation's biomedical, clinical, and research
needs. The program will involve faculty from multiple
departments spanning the behavioral and biological sciences
to provide students with cross-training and interdisciplinary
thesis opportunities. For more information, contact NIGMS
program director Alison Cole at colea@nigms.nih.gov
or 301-594-3827.

Minority Student Training Program

The NIGMS Minority Access to Research Careers (MARC)
program supports undergraduate biomedical research training
to increase the preparation of underrepresented minority
students for Ph.D. programs. The Council approved a proposal
to refocus this program emphasizing developing and enhancing the
scientific and academic skills of MARC students rather
than simply interesting and motivating potential trainees.
NIGMS may use an outcomes-based funding approach and
will encourage participating institutions to develop both
strong curricula that are rich in the quantitative sciences
and collaborative partnerships with existing predoctoral research training
(T32) programs. For more information, contact NIGMS program
director Shawn Drew at drewl@nigms.nih.gov
or 301-594-3900.

Funding Opportunities

Determination of Structures of HIV/Host Complexes (P50)

This request for applications is for research centers
to determine the high-resolution structures of complexes
between components of HIV and the host cell. The centers
also will engage in collaborative research with the larger
community involved in HIV-cell complex research. Up to
$10 million will be available to fund applications received
in response to this RFA. NIGMS anticipates making two
to three awards. For more information, see RFA-GM-07-001
and contact NIGMS program director Ravi Basavappa at basavapr@nigms.nih.gov
or 301-594-0828.

High-Accuracy Protein Structure Modeling (R01)

This is a reissue of a 2004 request for applications
to develop novel technologies that will significantly
improve the accuracy of comparative modeling methods for
protein structure prediction. NIGMS intends to commit
approximately $1.6 million (total cost) during FY 2007
to fund up to five new grants in response to this RFA.
The maximum project period will be 3 years with direct
cost support of up to $225,000 per year. For more information,
see RFA-GM-07-003
and contact NIGMS program director Jiayin (Jerry) Li at
lij@nigms.nih.gov
or 301-594-0828.

Molecular Probes for Microscopy of Cells (R01)

The purpose of this program announcement is to evaluate
promising but unproven general-purpose enabling technologies
for the routine detection by microscopy of single molecules
and single molecular events inside cells. Topics include
new classes of high-signal-output molecular imaging probes
and methods for the delivery and targeting of probes.
For more information, see PAR-06-288
and contact NIGMS program director James Deatherage at
deatherj@nigms.nih.gov
or 301-594-3828 or NIGMS division director Catherine Lewis
at lewisc@nigms.nih.gov
or 301-594-0828.

Basic Research on Human Embryonic Stem
Cells (P01)

This request for applications is to fund program project
grants on the basic biology of human embryonic stem cells
and promote the use of these cells as a model system for
addressing significant questions in the basic biomedical
sciences. NIGMS has set aside $6 million in FY 2007 to
support up to three awards. Funds may be used only for
research involving cell lines listed in the NIH
Human Embryonic Stem Cell Registry. For more information,
see RFA-GM-07-002
and contact NIGMS program director Marion Zatz at zatzm@nigms.nih.gov
or 301-594-0943.

Research Supplements to Promote Diversity
in Health-Related Research

Principal investigators holding active NIGMS research
grants can request supplemental funds to recruit and support
individuals from groups that are underrepresented in biomedical
research. NIGMS now will consider requests to support
more than one graduate student or postdoctoral fellow
per grant. For more information, see NOT-GM-06-111
and contact Anthony René, NIGMS assistant director
for referral and liaison, at renea@nigms.nih.gov
or 301-594-3833.

NIGMS-Sponsored Events

Protein Structure Target Selection

NIGMS will hold a workshop on protein structure target
selection on June 26-27, 2006, in the NIH Natcher Conference
Center, Bethesda, MD. Space is limited; advance registration
is required. For more information, contact NIGMS program
director Charles Edmonds at edmondsc@nigms.nih.gov
or 301-594-0828.

Functional Genomics of Critical Illness and Injury

Investigators using genomic and proteomic approaches
to study critical illness are encouraged to participate
in a November 13-14, 2006, symposium featuring sessions
on topics such as the biology of stress, new advances
in pharmacogenomics and metabolomics, and recent progress
across several multidisciplinary research networks. The
meeting will be held in the NIH Natcher Conference Center,
Bethesda, MD. Submit research abstracts for consideration
by September 8; register to attend by October 19. For
more information, see the symposium
Web site and contact NIGMS program director Scott
Somers at somerss@nigms.nih.gov
or 301-594-3827.

Research Administration Notes

Electronic Grant Submission Update

If you plan to apply for funding during the next year,
now is the time to learn about the new NIH
electronic grant submission process to ensure that
your application arrives properly and on time.

E-submissions now use local time: Electronic
applications now must be submitted to Grants.gov no later
than 5:00 p.m. in the local time zone of the applicant's
organization on the date specified in the relevant funding
opportunity announcement. For more information, see NOT-OD-06-050.

Implementation deadlines extended: The
timeline for moving from paper to electronic applications
now provides an additional 4 months before the changeover
for R01s and other funding mechanisms. For more information,
see the updated
timeline (31 KB PDF, requires free
Acrobat Reader).

Is your application on track? The simplest
and most effective way to establish that your electronic
application has been properly received and processed is
to check whether it is accessible through your NIH eRA
Commons account no later than 2 days after you have submitted
it to Grants.gov. The eRA Commons provides the only opportunity
to see your grant application just as a reviewer will
see it. Once the 2-day window has elapsed, any changes
to the application must be made through your scientific
review administrator and could delay processing. For more
information, see NOT-OD-06-055
and contact NIGMS deputy director for extramural activities
Paul Sheehy at sheehyp@nigms.nih.gov
or 301-594-4499.

Stay informed with e-mail updates: The
NIH Office of Extramural Research offers two electronic
mailing lists to provide periodic updates on its electronic
grant application program to scientists and administrators.
To subscribe, see NOT-OD-06-047.

Multiple PI Pilot Program

NIH will allow multiple principal investigators (PIs)
on grant applications within a selected set of grant programs
starting in September 2006. This effort is intended to
complement, and not replace, the traditional single-PI
model. The policies and procedures pertaining to multi-PI
applications and awards will differ in some ways from
those for traditional single-PI research grants. For more
information, including a list of relevant funding opportunities,
see the Multiple
Principal Investigators page on the NIH Web site.

Resources

NIGMS Funding Opportunities Directory

The NIGMS Web site now offers an interactive
directory allowing you to easily locate Institute-supported
funding opportunities. Search by keyword or phrase, filter
by grant mechanism, or browse by areas such as research
funding, training and career development, minority programs,
research and administrative supplements, and small business
opportunities.

New Minority Programs Publication Available

The publication 21st Century Scientists: Research Training Opportunities
for Underrepresented Minorities is now available
on the NIGMS Web site. This brochure provides an overview
of the Institute's minority programs and includes a chart
of these programs by career stage. Printed copies also
are available from the NIGMS Office of Communications
and Public Liaison at info@nigms.nih.gov
or 301-496-7301.

The NIGMS Feedback Loop is produced by the National
Institute of General Medical Sciences. For more information about
the Institute, visit http://www.nigms.nih.gov.
For more information about the NIGMS Feedback Loop, please
contact coordinator James Deatherage at deatherj@nigms.nih.gov
or 301-594-0828. The material in this newsletter is not copyrighted
and we encourage its use or
reprinting.